This paper reviews the contribution that landscape ecology can make to sustainable rangeland management. Traditionally in places like Australia an ecological construct has been applied to landscape management. Recent shifts in the landscape ecological paradigm towards an approach that links science and practice with a particular focus on landscape design, social and cultural aspects of landscapes and the value associated with landscape services, make landscape ecology increasingly more useful for addressing rangeland sustainability and therefore this paper suggests that those involved in rangeland management consider landscape ecology within its wider context.

Fire plays a key role in preventing invasion of woody species into grass-dominated ecosystems. The effect of recurrent fires on grass species of semi-arid rangelands of central Argentina was assessed over a 20-year period in order to aid in the prescription of sound management guidelines.

Bellyache bush is an invasive weed in northern Australia that has the potential to form monocultures and can poison cattle, horses, and goats, especially in times of drought. Competition between a buffel grass pasture and bellyache bush was examined over a 9-year period in North Queensland. Grazing strategies that maintained a healthy and competitive pasture layer severely delayed flowering, prevented seed production, and increased mortality of bellyache bush.

Since human demand is driving the development and expansion of livestock farming, the impact of this land-use on natural biodiversity is a topic of increasing interest. This study investigated the impacts of sheep farming on the small-mammal community in a savanna ecosystem in South Africa, finding grass height to be the primary determinant of differences in small-mammal community structure among grazing treatments. Although the results demonstrate an overarching adverse relationship between sheep and small mammals, the latter may persist in isolated long-grass patches within heavily grazed pastures subjected to rotational grazing.

The carbon accumulation (photosynthesis less respiration i.e. Net primary productivity (NPP)) in grassland is one of the key components in grassland management. Both the Integrated Orderly Classification System of Grassland and the Classification Indices-based Model were applied to analyze the succession of potential China’s grassland from the recent past (1950–2000) to a future scenario (2001–2050) in a geographic information system environment. It has the potential to rapidly promote grassland NPP research and application in developing or undeveloped regions or countries.

The potential for Acacia farnesiana (L.) Willd. to expand rapidly in response to changes in land use was examined by quantifying the seed production, dispersal, seed-bank density, and seed germination. Even in the absence of grazing pressure, low numbers of seeds were produced and these were mainly locally dispersed, although long-distance dispersal via floods could occur. Soil-stored seed banks were not large, and so pulse recruitment seems unlikely given the match between field seedling densities and seed-bank density.

A Range Management Plan was imposed by the Iranian government as a solution to the problem of range depletion. This study presents the results of a survey conducted in 80 rangeland parcels in the two counties of Semnan and Damghan, where the livestock population is 15% above the carrying capacity, as defined in the plan. In addition to other factors, the survey revealed a lack of high relative advantages as the main reason for the plan not being implemented by rangeland holders. The results of this study contribute to the theory of the diffusion of innovations, describe users’ attitudes towards sustainable management plans, and provide useful information for policy makers.

Pastoralists’ local knowledge can be commensurate with scientific measurements, and relevant for the development of indicators and land-management policy. Surveyed pastoralists in the arid Australian rangelands had extensive knowledge of plant indicators of grazing behaviour and named a range of plant indicators for land condition, showing that indicators and palatability can be highly location-specific. Pastoralists’ participation in land management policy is vital for the adoption of rangeland science on the ground, and can provide opportunities for social learning in an adaptive management framework.

The article describes estimates of the longevity and fecundity of arid-zone plants. Many species live >100 years and are fecund when rainfall is high. This information should be of interest to managers of rangelands and rehabilitation of disturbed areas in rangelands as well as to botanists interested in plant demography.